Giani Harpreet Singh elected president of SAD breakaway faction
Apart from this, Satwant Kaur has been elected as chairperson of the 'Panthic' council of the faction.
The Akal Takht-appointed committee held the delegate session of the breakaway group of the SAD at Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh in Amritsar.
During the delegate session on Monday (August 11), the name of Giani Harpreet Singh was proposed for the post of president, while Satwant Kaur was proposed for the post of chairperson of the Panthic council.
Giani Harpreet Singh, the former jathedar of the Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, was part of the Sikh clergy that had pronounced 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) for SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and other Akali leaders on December 2, 2024.
In February, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had dismissed the services of Giani Harpreet Singh as the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.
Ms. Kaur is the daughter of the former president of the All India Sikh Students Federation, Amrik Singh, who was a close associate of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and was killed in Operation Bluestar in 1984.
The Akal Takht-appointed committee, which was given a mandate to supervise the reorganisation of the Shiromani Akali Dal in December last year, comprised MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, Santa Singh Umaidpur, former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Satwant Kaur.
On December 2 last year, the Akal Takht, in its edict, formed a seven-member panel to start a membership drive and hold elections for the post of SAD president and office bearers within six months.
'Punishment' to Badal
At that time, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs had pronounced "punishment" for Mr. Badal and others for the "sins" of the party and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Mr. Badal was declared 'tankhaiya' after rebel leaders, including Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, ex-MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, and former minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, appeared before the Akal Takht on July 1, 2024, and sought forgiveness for the "mistakes" during the SAD regime between 2007 and 2017.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar later resigned from the Akal Takht-appointed panel.
But the SAD working committee, in January, formed its own panel and initiated its membership drive, drawing criticism from the rebel leaders for defying the Akal Takht directive.
On April 12, Mr. Badal returned to the helm of the SAD with his unanimous election as president of the party.
The Akal Takht-appointed committee, however, started a parallel membership drive in March. After completion of the drive and electing delegates, the committee held the delegate session for electing office bearers on Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Virtual split in Akali Dal as its breakaway faction names party president
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which has been going through a challenging phase over the past few years, faced another setback on Monday as the party faced a virtual split following the rebel faction announcing its new president. In the meeting in Amritsar of the Akal Takht-appointed committee, which was last year given the mandate to supervise the restructuring of the party, the breakaway faction on Monday declared former Akal Takht acting chief priest Giani Harpreet Singh as its president. Satwant Kaur was appointed chairperson of the Panthic (Sikh) council. The Akal Takht is the highest Sikh temporal seat. Ever since Sukhbir Singh Badal's re-election as SAD president, the rebels had been alleging that the Akal Takht's verdict of December 2, 2024 – which awarded religious punishments to him and several other party leaders for the 'mistakes' committed by the Akali Dal-led government from 2007 to 2017 – was not implemented in letter and spirit. The temporal authority had issued directions to the working committee of SAD to constitute a panel to hold elections for the post of party president and office-bearers, which the rebels pointed out was not adhered to. Mr. Harpreet Singh was part of the Sikh clergy that had issued the December 2, 2024 verdict. In February, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had dismissed his services as the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. War of words erupts With rebels staking claim to the party, the exchange of words between leaders of both the camps sharpened. Addressing the meeting, Mr. Harpreet Singh asserted that they were the 'real' Akalis and 'we would eventually take control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the Akali Dal symbol, and the Akali Dal office'. Reacting sharply, senior SAD leaders Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema dubbed the faction as an 'Agency Dal'. The leaders said the faction of disgruntled elements has added a new chapter to the 'old conspiracy to divide and weaken the Khalsa Panth and Punjab' with the floating of a 'sponsored outfit of Central agencies with their hand-picked henchman Harpreet Singh as its spearhead'. SAD, which often claims to be the sole representative of the Sikh community, has over the years seen a gradual decline in fortunes in Punjab, where Sikh identity and issues have long been central to the political discourse. Political observers say the impression had gained among several sections among the Sikh community that under the sway of the Badal family, the party moved away from issues surrounding the Sikh 'panth' and deviated from its core ideology of giving voice to Sikh issues. The party's dipping popularity was on view during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, where SAD could win only one seat of the 13 parliamentary constituencies in the State. The party had earlier faced electoral drubbings in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Mayor's 600cr demand riles oppn, sparks pol crossfire
Mohali: With municipal elections barely seven months away, Mohali mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu's demand for Rs 600 crore to address civic issues has triggered a political slugfest. Opposition parties have accused the Congress mayor of failing to deliver during his tenure and questioned the timing of the request for funds. SAD Mohali in-charge Parminder Singh Sohana said the proposal was impractical so close to elections. "The irony is that the mayor seeks Rs 600 crore when there is hardly any time left to utilise it. Tendering works of this scale will take months. This is nothing but an attempt to make personal gains," he alleged. BJP's Mohali unit chief Sanjeev Vashisht launched an equally scathing attack on the mayor. "In the past four years, the Congress mayor completely failed the city. Mohali residents are ready to oust him. He should step down on moral grounds," Vashisht said, adding that BJP aims to install its own mayor in the next term. Sidhu blamed AAP-led govt for withholding funds. "We have been demanding Rs 600 crore for a long time, but our local MLA has been the biggest obstacle. Countering him, AAP MLA Kulwant Singh called the mayor "unstable." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Giani Harpreet slams Badal-led SAD, vows to revive party's ‘original spirit'
1 2 Amritsar: Giani Harpreet Singh, newly elected president of a reconstituted Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), launched a scathing attack on the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD, accusing the party of losing its political and moral relevance and failing the youth of Punjab. In a speech delivered after his election, Harpreet Singh said once most-significant party had lost its moral and political relevance and become a tool for self-interest, leading to its national irrelevance. "There was a time if the SAD president would sit on a dharna, the Prime Minister would come personally to hear his demands. When Master Tara Singh protested in Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru came himself to ask what he wanted. Today, the SAD-backed SGPC president has been requesting an appointment with the Prime Minister for two years—and hasn't even received a response. This is the level to which we've fallen," he said. He said the reorganised SAD, guided by the directive of the Akal Takht issued on Dec 2, 2024, seeks to revive the spirit and purpose of the original Akali Dal—one rooted in service, sacrifice, and Sikh values. Talking of Punjab's economy, he said, "There was a time when Sikhs were seen as one of the richest communities in India, especially before the Partition. In pre-1947 Punjab, trade was with Hindus, but agriculture—the backbone of the land—was in the hands of Sikhs," he said, alleging that the Centre had suppressed the community and destroyed its industries, pushing farmers into debt and driving the youth to emigrate. He claimed this decline was enabled by a leadership that looked the other way. MSID:: 123236897 413 | Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
